Written Answers Monday 10 April 2006

Scottish Executive

Avian Influenza

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to the finding of H5N1 HPAI in a wild bird.

Ross Finnie: On 29 March, the Great Britain Wild Bird Surveillance Helpline was notified of a single dead swan in Cellardyke Harbour, Fife. Samples taken from it were sent to the Veterinary Laboratory Agency at Weybridge on 30 March and arrived the following day. All standing instructions and protocols were observed and analysis was carried out by internationally validated tests.

  Confirmation of H5 High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) became available late on the afternoon of 5 April. The Scottish Executive and State Veterinary Service (SVS) immediately activated their avian influenza contingency plans. In line with EU requirements legislation was introduced late on Wednesday night to establish protection and surveillance zones around the location of the finding and enable the SVS to identify and visit all poultry premises in these areas. Clinical inspection and sampling of all six flocks within the protection zone has been completed. All flocks in the surveillance zone have been clinically inspected. The main effect of these controls was to put in place a requirement for any poultry in the 3km protection zone to be housed. They also imposed restrictions on movement of poultry and poultry products in this area and the wider 10km surveillance zone.

  Close co-ordination was established with other operational partners. The police responded quickly to enforce the movement ban and Fife Council put in place their emergency infrastructure in support of the State Veterinary Service, the lead operational agency. Close contact was made with NHS Fife who initiated their own contingency planning arrangements for public health.

  Further laboratory results obtained on 6 April confirmed High Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1. The Ministerial Group on Civil Contingencies met on 6 April to consider these findings, reports of emergency meetings held with a wide range of stakeholders and their wider implications.

  Having taken account of veterinary, scientific and ornithological expert advice, and the proximity of important waters where there are swans and other wild birds a decision was made, as a further precautionary measure, to require the housing of birds in a wider area, known as "the wild bird risk area", covering Fife, parts of Kincardineshire, Angus and Perthshire. An Order to support this was put in place late on 6 April. In this wild bird risk area, as well as the introduction of the requirement for the housing of birds a ban on bird gatherings was also introduced. Wild bird surveillance in this area has also been intensified.

  The Scottish Executive continues to monitor the situation, working closely with stakeholders to minimise impact on the poultry industry and the wider rural economy and society.

  Efforts have also been made to reassure the public about the negligible risk to them from avian influenza in wild birds and that properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat.

Drug Misuse

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are available for drug education in schools and, of these, what percentage is provided to Glasgow City Council.

Hugh Henry: There is a range of teaching resources and training opportunities available for drugs education in schools, provided by local authorities and other providers.

  The provision of training on drugs education for practising teachers is, as for all in-service training, at the discretion of the school and local authority according to their priorities. Funding for local authorities for teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD) over a range of subjects is funded through the National Priorities Action Fund. In 2005-06, £1,498,194 was made available to Glasgow City Council for teacher CPD, and a similar level of funding will be made available in 2006-07.

  In September 2005, the Executive wrote individually to all directors of education, the independent schools sector and higher and further education colleges in Scotland advising of the aims of the Know the Score campaign. A full range of information materials, all of which are available free of charge, were included with the letter which aimed to encourage the use of the materials in schools and other educational establishments.

European Funding

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24306 by Allan Wilson on 24 March 2006, what the cash flow implications will be in terms of the source and application of structural funds from the European Union in (a) 2006-07 and (b) those subsequent years for which data is available.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is reimbursed for the expenditure it incurs in relation to European Structural Funds by the European Commission. Such reimbursements are requested on a regular basis, however, at any given time the amount disbursed by the Scottish Executive will be greater than that received from the European Commission. This cash flow issue is mitigated by an advance payment which was received at the start of the current programmes. It is anticipated that such an arrangement will be followed in the new programming period.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any material evidence from the scene of the Marion Ross murder in Kilmarnock in January 1997 has been misplaced or lost.

Colin Boyd QC: I am not aware of any of the material evidence that was removed from the murder scene having been misplaced or lost. However, the original negatives and photographs of fingerprint Y7 are not available. Other photographs of Y7 remain available, as does the original mark on the doorframe.

Nuclear Waste

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23957 by Allan Wilson on 14 March 2006, whether this answer indicates that, if construction of an electricity-generating station with capacity of less than 50 megawatts is proposed, consent from Scottish ministers is not required for construction to commence.

Allan Wilson: The Electricity Act sets out the capacity thresholds above which power stations can only be constructed, operated or extended with the consent of the Scottish ministers. In most instances the threshold is 50 megawatts (MW), but in the case of power stations wholly or mainly driven by water and for all developments beyond the Low Water Mark it is 1 MW.

  Any on-shore proposal not in excess of these thresholds would be subject to the land use planning system, and as such would require approval of the relevant local planning authority. Both of Scotland’s existing nuclear power stations Hunterston "B" and Torness, with installed capacity of 1190 MW and 1259 MW respectively, exceed these thresholds.

Olympic Games

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22475 by Patricia Ferguson on 26 January 2006, whether it sought clarification as to who might have been responsible for this reported comment and, if so, what information it has on who was responsible for it.

Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive did not seek clarification as to who was responsible for the comment "Does this make us more inclined to forget about Hampden Park and consider other options? Sure it does, of course it does", as reported in The Scotsman on 12 November 2005.

  As my answer to S2W-22475 indicated, the Scottish Executive has sought and received assurance that Hampden will be an Olympic venue as originally laid out in the bid document.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Sport

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, for purposes of implementation of the EU Birds and Habitats directives,  sportscotland is a competent authority in relation to its functions of promoting or supporting sporting activities that may affect protected sites or species and, if not, what measures are in place to ensure that its activities are consistent with these directives.

Patricia Ferguson: In terms of Regulation 6 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994 , the Scottish Sports Council trading as  sportscotland is a competent authority. To the extent that its activities are likely to affect protected sites or species,  sportscotland is required to act in a manner consistent with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.